Christianity

• 1 Comment

•

I'm reading in Genesis (so far, so good on the Bible reading).

Sunday's sermon in church was on the recounting in Luke of the sinful woman with the alabaster box of perfume. There are those who reside in the "I've lived a better life than you" club. And there are those who have been forgiven much.

Every time I read Genesis verse by verse I'm reminded of the sinful humanity that God used in the Old Testament. It was this really human line that brought Christ into the world. God could have used really good people - there are a few of them in the Bible.

But even these really good people - lots of times their kids didn't turn out so hot.

All in all, God used people that would contrast His goodness, holiness and holiness with our sin.

I'm glad. Perfection is a goal I don't meet.

•

The first hymn we sang today, written in 1719 by Isaac Watts. (we didn't sing the whole thing)

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men:”
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.

Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

Like flowery fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand
Lie withering ere ‘tis night.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

• 2 Comments

•

The whole alcohol debate is probably going to be with me for a while, since my dad is a legalistic teetotaler and I'm - well - not.

In the sermon at my church this morning, the text was on the Sabbath (legalism vs. God's law) and how the Jews used hedge laws to "protect" themselves from breaking the law - if you obeyed man's hedge laws, you could never get close to breaking God's real one.

A "hedge law" is an "extra" law that the Jews used to create a hedge around the Law of Moses. For instance - all the Decalogue says about the Sabbath is: "but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates."

So, the Jews took it and ran with it - "what's 'labor'?" - and ended up with a bunch of hedge laws that never appear in Scripture: how far you can walk, how much jewelry (in weight) a woman can wear, etc. These hedge laws were so restrictive that Christ was condemned by the Pharisees for healing on the Sabbath.

Christ never broke God's Law - but he did break the law of man - the hedge laws.

And that's what we have today - hedge laws.

If you don't use alcohol at all, you will never be able to break God's prescription against drunkeness.

Would Christ have obeyed this "hedge law"?

•

The Magdalene Laundries
by Joni Mitchell

I was an unmarried girl
I'd just turned twenty-seven
When they sent me to the sisters
For the way men looked at me.
Branded as a jezebel,
I knew I was not bound for Heaven
I'd be cast in shame
Into the Magdalene laundries.

Most girls come here pregnant
Some by their own fathers.
Bridget got that belly
By her parish priest.
We're trying to get things white as snow,
All of us woe-begotten daughters,
In the steaming stains
Of the Magdalene laundries.

Prostitutes and destitutes
And temptresses like me—
Fallen women—
Sentenced into dreamless drudgery—
Why do they call this heartless place
Our Lady of Charity?
Oh, charity!

These bloodless brides of Jesus,
If they had just once glimpsed their groom,
Then they'd know, and they'd drop the stones
Concealed behind their rosaries.
They wilt the grass they walk upon,
They leech the light out of a room,
They'd like to drive us down the drain
At the Magdalene laundries.

Peg O'Connell died today.
She was a cheeky girl,
A flirt
They just stuffed her in a hole!
Surely to God you'd think at least
some bells should ring!
One day I'm going to die here too.
And they'll plant me in the dirt
Like some lame bulb
That never blooms come any spring,
Come any spring,
No, not any spring...

•

Sola Scriptura
Solus Christus
Sola Gratia

By God's grace alone are we saved. Without the grace of God, we are nothing, can do nothing, can be nothing - but lost. I'll let God speak for Himself.

I'll start with the greeting of Paul, to his spiritual siblings

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 1:3)

By grace, we are chosen in Christ (Romans 11:5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.)

By grace, and nothing of ourselves, we are saved. (Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—)

Even the workds that we do are not our own, it is the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10 No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me)

We are dead, but for grace (Ephesians 2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.)

I'll leave you with this, the closing of Paul to the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Amazing Grace
lyrics by John Newton, 1779

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come.
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

And when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the vail
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun.

• 3 Comments

•

Thanks to the commenter on Thinklings that recommended a book, "Finding God in Harry Potter", I took this and ran with it, probably way farther than I should have. My son and I just saw "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and on the way home, Tom bore the brunt of my ranting, conceded that I had a point and then tried to make me take a Ritalin (I'm joking - about the Ritalin part.)

If fact, this whole post is not meant to be serious, please don't take it seriously - the point is that if you try hard enough, you can find a "christ figure" (lower case "c" on purpose) in just about anything. The lower case "c", because sometimes what you think is Christ isn't Christ at all...and sometimes we try to see Christ (or God) in things that were never meant to portray Him. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar...and sometimes fiction is just fiction. So, put your tongue in cheek now, since that's where mine is...it's ok to say "ew" and "you're really wierd". Anybody that knows us (my family) will tell you anyway that trying to believe that we're anything resembling normal is - wierd.

Anyway, I'm not giving anything away, since what I'm poking at is in the original also. Short review - I liked it, but don't take little kids. Johnny Depp was a little wierd and over-acted, but that was the point, so it was ok. Tom missed "the song". I knew beforehand that some women really had an "ick" thing going on when they saw Depp photos as Willie Wonka side by side with Michael Jackson. Not me - right away (and there was an "ick factor") ummm....Geena Davis.

And - on with the show...

We know that we're to spread the Gospel to the whole world (Wonka bars went out to the whole world). Only a few (five) would really receive the "call" (ticket).

And, in fact, even many who think they're accepting the invitation (factory tour) are only doing it out of greed, not out of gratefulness. In the end, they won't receive the prize (Matthew 7:23
Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!')

All of us with have to deal with tempation. I can resist drugs very easily, but man - put me in young Mr. Gloop's shoes...The dragon tailors our temptations to our weaknesses. Augustus Gloop and the chocolate river, Violet Beauregarde and chewing gum, Mike Teevee and technology, Veruca Salt and, well...greed for just about everything. Most of us can add our own names and our own weaknesses (1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.) The comparison falls apart here, because it was Wonka that was putting the temptation in front of these children and God doesn't tempt us with sin - but you do get the impression that Wonka knew what was going to make these kids fall.

Onward - it really struck me that of all those who hear the Gospel, only a few accept. Even of those that accept, some of those don't really mean it. Only those who remain faithful to the end receive the prize (Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.)

Wonka was looking for his heir, and we are heirs (Galatians 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.)

Charlie was the only one who perservered to the end. The biggest difference is that he only had his own power. We are running with the the anointing of God, the power of the Holy Spirit and the Blood of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us).

We may be called to give up everything we own, everything we love - we may be called to leave our home, our family - in order to live for Christ, to receive the prize.

I'm not sure exactly how to end this, except to remind everybody that YES!!! This is a stretch! That's the point. In most Hollywood productions, any resemblance to Christ is accidental.